Newbie question about Guild Wars, Please advise.

I am lookin into gettin an online RPG, and was initially debating on getting WoW. But the idea of paying like $20 a month for what I probably would end up playing is not financially appropriate for me.

Now the basic questions are these:

>>I am used to hack and slash RPG's like Baldur's Gate and Champions of Norrath for the PS2. Is Guild Wars similar in perspective as these?

>>Do I have to seek out a guild before I can play or can I roam around for some time before choosing (or can I not have a guild choice period, and be like a ronin)

>>Is there Guilds that would not have a specific amount of online time as a requirement? I do work fairly long hours, and probably cannot actually be online playing for extended hours (maybe 1 or 2 every other day or so). This wasnt intended on being a recruitment thing, though PM's on that are accepted
>>In looking at the Guild List, I noticed something about "Role Playing". What exactly is that? Only ask since some have it as "yes" and others as "no"

I think these are the more important questions I can think of as of the moment, but any other info would definitely be appreciated. I just want to make sure that before I buy the game I have a basic understanding on whether or not I would enjoy it.

On a side note, if I am required to choose a guild (which I actually assume I have to, hence "Guild" wars) I do have some website building exp for those Guilds I may choose who don't and a website that I tinker around with.

Thank anyone who replies for their imput and time.

Definatly not. The only thing that you would NEED to have a guild for is GvG - and if your more into PvE, then definatly not. You dont have to join ever if you dont want to

Some guilds that are heavily into PvP will ask that you be on at a certain time or whatever - but if you join a guild that isn't straight PvP, its just more about if your on, then your on, as long as you dont dissappear for like 5 or 6 months.


Hope that helps and hope that you choose guild wars

In terms of getting into Guild Wars, it's all about how you want to play. PVP is optional. And Guilds are a choice, you can join one, make one or just be YOU. The great thing about it it's an MMO without the crazy MMO feel trying to farm a boss with everyone else on the serve will not happen. There's no fees and there are plenty of ways to build up characters. And with the 3 installments so far, you can take your time building from the ground up from start to finish (the story isn't finished yet i'm sure). Role playing is you and people (henchies, heros other players) vs. enviroment. the PVP is like i said optional. The guild I'm in usually sticks to PVE if other ppl are on that is. But that's another sotry happy hunting.

Most definitely not! The name guild wars come more form the stroyline than actually having to be member of a guild. It depends on how you play. If you prefer PvE (Player vs Environment, roleplaying, or more simply you vs the AI) then you can get by without a guild, even PvP (Player vs Player) doesn't requre one, it's just needed for GvG (Guild vs Guild) battles.

It depends what the guild is like. Some will have strict Rules, regulations and whatnot, others are more relaxed.

Members of RolePlay or PvE guild will help out other guild members with quests/missions farming, exploring, general PvE stuff really. They will usually be less focused on GvG.

Hope to help

Erud -.

Not entirely sure what you mean by hack and slash but I'm pretty sure I can say no. This game, takes some thinking and planning. Not everything mind you, but you do have to have a plan. On top of that, the various professions give you a choice. If you like hack and slash, then you can be a warrior (lol), if not, there are a lot of others to choose from.

No, a guild is not necessary, however it can be a big help when you are first starting out. Most guilds will not tell you the wrong thing, just to rip you off...at least I hope not.

Can't speak for others but our guild you don't. We have one member who is often gone for months at a time because of his job. Real life always comes first.

I think of it as role playing because most of us think of our characters as an extension of ourselves. We get "our" armor, we have "our" pets and "we" get killed, pwned or what ever.

This game is freaking awesome. We are totally hooked and love playing it.

Some guilds have websites, as do we. My partner and I are co-guild leaders and run our website. We don't know much but we muddle along. I am sure that most guild, if they don't already have, would love to have their own.

You're welcome. If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me, or if you do get the game, my forum name here is my in game name so you can pm there too.

If you don't join a guild, be prepared to set your "status" to "offline" b/c you will get whispered with guild invites about once/minute while in town.

But do not fret. Just accept the first invite and then ignore their chatter from then on. You cannot make a bad guild choice. Worst case they just kick you from the guild which has no real in-game consequences and you will immediately begin getting invites from other guilds next time you are in a town.

And if you do not like the guild you are in...just leave it. No big deal. Eventually as you play, you may find some players you like to play with. Ask to join their guild. Most likely they will let you in.

Whatever guild you end up joining (if you do): the real benefits is that the guild members might give you some $$ or stuff you need to adventure or they might help you with a particularly tough mission. Or they might answer a question you have about some item you just found etc. And like I said...if you do not like the ppl in the guild just leave the guild. It is easy and painless and most likely they will not even realize you left. lol.

As a casual player you won't want to join any guilds with requirements such as money to join, faction to donate, hours per day or any crud like that. As stated earlier, if you do get in one like that you can just leave it.

Thanks for the info thus far. Please note I haven't purchased the game yet, but definitely seems like a go.

For me website thingy, this is the style example I am working on (was a champions theme): http://5-tigers.com/norrath/armor.html

The layout ia an emulated old DDO (D&D Online) theme, which I will probably hack into a phpbb forum. The site is also my own paid server.

Thanks again.

I'm a 30 yearld-old and love GW. My favorite is farming after the initial story line. The economy is so finite because oonce you spend your gold, you have to go farm again. Buying, Selling , and trading is more fun then the story-line. There is nothing like a good green (rare) drop that you could sell for 100x its worth. It's based on what the market.

Having come to Guild Wars after having played through both Champions games myself I can say that the transition to Guild Wars was very easy for me. Yes, it is more involved and it takes some time to really learn how to get the most out of your character's professions and skills. And there are a lot more skills and spells available to your character (though you will only start out with a few) to learn how to use effectively. But myself and the two friends that I played through Champions with found the games similar enough that it didn't take long for us to get comfortable with the system and gameplay.

"Role playing" can often mean something a lot more than what the other posters have described it as. The term "role playing" is sometimes used to describe a way of playing the game in which the person takes on the role of their character, like an actor. This can include things such as a character history and background, mannerisms, a particular way of speaking, etc. You are pretending to be that character in-game. Role playing guilds are formed so that people who are interested in role playing can find others who are also interested. The members of the guild can safely role play with other members without worrying or having to deal with people giving them crap about it and making fun of them. Because the term can mean different things to different people you should find out what the guild considers "role playing" before joining a guild that says they do.